dixie 0 Posted February 8, 2007 I am trying to save as much as possible of course so was looking at the older, cheaper priced UScutters on ebay and on the site. what is everyone's opinion on this? is it worth paying the extra $200 for the Copam? what are the big differences in terms of actually features and usage. just looking at the descriptions of the 2 cutters it seems like there is very little difference. i wanna hear from those of you in the know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaterNuts 3 Posted February 9, 2007 Ive never used a Copam, So maybe my opinion is a little biased but, the copam does have an optical eye on it that measures the vinyl that you have loaded in your machine. I have also heard that it is alot quiter than the Refine cutter. I have also heard that the blade holder in the refine is metal, which is more durable then the plastic one that is included in the refine cutters. I have also heard that the media holder (rollers) are very unique on this machine and seems that people like them better then the ones of the refine. But as far as the Refine plotter goes, its a very solid machine. The stand is very durable, a finely crafted piece of equipment. If you are starting out, I would probably go with the refine... Save the extra money for the vinyl that you will be going thru experimenting with the machine. The optical eye is a fairly new feature and was only avaliable mostly on the higher end cutters. The majority of sign makers probably have just a standard plotter anyways and will probably be loading vinyl only in the standard widths. I have had no issues with the blade holder in my refine cutter, just as with all plotters, there are going to be parts that wear out. But i do believe that the one in the refine will wear out faster then the one on the copam, however, you can pick up one over at uscutterdirect.com The rollers on my refine work fine for me, on high speed cuts, i just have to be sure that i unroll enough material off for the job, so that when it is feeding thru, it doesnt jerk the roll off from the rollers. Would I buy a Copam? If I had the extra money for it I probably would, but the refine will get me by just fine... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thredz 1 Posted February 9, 2007 I have ran R2 for hours and hours,with no problems.Other than the bolts that hold the carriage rollers. I think they both cut well.But the copam is quiet enough that I can stand over it and talk on the phone.With R2,I have to step out on the front porch to talk.The copam is made of a much higher quality grade of metal.The stand alone weighs more than R2 complete.The rollers on the copam are a much finer spline than the 721.If you plan on cutting heat transfer vinyl,I would suggest the copam.It seems to grab the slick plastic backing a lot better.The blade holder is mage of a better quality,but it also has a flatter bottom to it.I noticed when you run a cut with a little more downforce,that the pressure from the blade seems to make the vinyl pull up to the bottom of the blade holder.The copam seems to give better control over that point.The copam also has a 64 megabyte dsp buffered memory.When I use flexisign and do a plot or cut on R2,I usually have to wait until the program shows 100% before I even touch another program like photoshop or even browsing the net.The memory on the copam loads completly before it even cuts,freeing up my computer.I think it depends on your long term plans as to which one would be best for you.If you plan on running a cutter hours and hours per day,then I would spend the extra money on the copam.Both machines are reasonable enough that no matter which one you buy,you will turn your money around faster than if you bought a name brand.Hope that helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
